The question was posed that why do we find that more women have HIV than men? According to Avert “At the end of 2012 it was estimated that 52 percent of people living with HIV and AIDS in low- and middle-income countries are women.” There are several factors that contribute to more women having HIV.

First it is biologically easier for women to become infected with HIV than men. Women’s anatomy makes it more efficient for the transfer of HIV during intercourse.

Secondly, we find that more women test for HIV than men. When women visit the hospital to receive prenatal care, they are required by the government to have an HIV test so as to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV. Thus the lesser number of men who come for HIV tests may account for some of the difference in HIV prevalence between men and women.

Also, especially among young people, women tend to have sex at younger ages than young men. However, some studies have shown that the HIV prevalence evens out more between men and women as both sexes grow older and into their thirties.

Culturally, women’s lower status in our societies in comparison to men means that they are more susceptible to non-consensual sex and thus more likely to become infected.